Chapter 54: The Last Hour


    ?


    "Now, after that''s been said," Dakota tapped her stick on the ckboard. "Besides the guilds, there''re other factions, such as Pro-Strong and Church of the God Almighty.


    "They''re different from the guilds, as their members are almost in every guild. However, they have their own sets and beliefs, and they can be quite dangerous if crossed.


    "As a new mercenary, I suggest avoiding Pro-Strong members as much as possible. They believe that the weak, such as you all, should be ves from the beginning. Only if you be stronger can you escape ve status."


    "What the..." The yers murmured with each other, shocked by such a thought.


    Seth raised his arm and asked, "Why do they think so?"


    "In the New World, strength is everything." Dakota formed a fist and ced it on her chest. "The weak have no real part in that world except to get stronger. So, a thought has been created that they would be of better use as ves for stronger mercenaries."


    The yers stayed silent.


    "However, it is very inhumane, so that thought is not shared by the majority." Dakota said. "Only King Moriarty can make very legal. However, luckily for everyone, he doesn''t share that ideology."


    The yers sighed in relief and made a mental note to avoid those Pro-Strong lunatics.


    "The Church of God Almighty is a tamer organization. They worship God Almighty, the creator of this world. However, they''re very religious and devoted to their beliefs. They can also be dangerous.


    "Then, there are some other factions, some that are staying in the shadows."


    Dakota finished and wiped the scribbling off the ckboard.


    "If you, one day, be strong enough, you may also create your own guild." Dakota said. "You''ll need to be Royal Mercenary in order to do so."


    ''I created my own guild, tinum Mercenaries, as soon as I was able to.'' Adam thought to himself. ''They were fiercely loyal to me. However, the ones that I thought were most loyal, ended up betraying me in the end.''


    Adam clicked his tongue as he again remembered those few faces.


    Liam, Lisa, Nikhs, and Amelia were the ones who suggested making a guild between the five of them. Since Adam was the only one who had reached Royal Mercenary at that point, he became the guild leader.


    He didn''t really want to, but he thought it would be fun with his friends. His guild managed to grow exponentially in a short amount of time. Therefore, his guild became one of the strongest forces in Star Faction.


    ''I don''t really know what I''ll do in this life...'' Adam sighed and scratched the back of his head.


    "Anyway, this will be the end of the lesson." Dakota put down her stick and added, "Remember, choose your guild wisely. It could determine your fate in the New World!" The yers nodded and stood up while stretching their numb-gone limbs. They also started talking with their friends loudly, instantly engulfing the auditorium with loud voices.


    At that moment, the door swung open with loud enough force to silence all the chatter. The yers saw Ron waltz into the room, a cold expression on his face.


    "Everyone!" Ron shouted loudly. "Go to your quarters; pack up your stuff. This is thest hour you''re in the Safe Area. You only have an hour to pack up; once you''re done, meet up in front of the fourth floor''s door!"


    Following that, Ron left the auditorium, leaving behind shocked yers.


    Without even a second passing, the yers started whispering about what the hell was going on. They then realized that this was it-the final stage in the tutorial.


    Today, the tutorial will end.


    Adam stood up, yawned shortly, and then left the auditorium with his hands inside his pockets. He headed straight to his quarters to pack up his stuff.


    "Adam!" Donald shouted from behind and ran to catch him.


    "Yes?" Adam didn''t turn around and continued walking straight.


    "Do you think this will be the end?" Donald asked while panting nervously. "The end of the tutorial."


    "Yes." Adam said with a nod. "The fourth floor opens in an hour. Go prepare yourself; it is thest push."


    "Damn, this is ruthless." Donald panted heavily. "We''re all exhausted, and now this..." "This is nothingpared to what mercenaries have to suffer day and night." Adam said. "Ah, what do you mean?"


    "I have heard some stuff, such as some Boss Fightssting for three days. The longest fight hassted for seven days.


    "It isn''t umon for a fight tost over a day. Imagine having to constantly be on edge to fight for that long. This is nothingpared to this."


    "Seven days?!" Donald eximed. "They take breaks, right? There is no way it is possible to stay awake for that long."


    "Breaks, hah, right." Adam chuckled. "That is, unfortunately, not an option. Seven days, non- stop, fighting."


    "That is insane..." Donald touched the back of his head and then gritted his teeth. ''This is nothingpared to that. I''ll have to push through.''


    "See you and good luck." Adam reached his door, opened it with his keys, and entered.


    Donald watched as the door closed and started heading in the direction of his room. He was still thinking about fighting for seven days. It made him respect the mercenaries that had to go through that.


    ...


    Adam packed up some of the clothes he had purchased and stuffed them inside his backpack. He then grabbed some of his food rations, filled the water canteen with water, and put them inside his neatly arranged backpack.


    Then he ced it on the floor and sat down on the soft bed.


    "Mhm..." He rubbed his neck, loosening his muscles as he let out a contented sigh. "Thest


    push..."


    Knock, knock!


    "Come in." Adam turned to the door, which opened, and a sweet-smiled woman walked in.


    "Muriel?"


    "You finished packing?" Muriel asked as she looked at the neat and tidy room.


    "Yeah, I was about to get going." Adam said, slung the backpack over his shoulder, and stood up slowly, as if the backpack weighed a ton.


    "Mm, good luck. This will be thest test." Muriel said. "I''ll be going to talk with the Council of Mercenaries. They''re the ones that eventually decide the final score."


    "Are the Council of Mercenaries going to watch the final test?" Adam asked.


    "..." Muriel nodded. "Yes, they will be watching. After that, we Handlers, have to tell the council what score we should give to our recruit. We have to convince them..."


    "I see." Adam nodded and sighed heavily. "I did everything I could. I hope it was enough."


    Muriel looked at him with a deep look. She then softly nodded and said, "I believe it was. I''ll


    also... try my best."


    "Thanks." Adam chuckled, walked past her, and opened the door. "Farewell."


    With that, he left the room, and his footsteps grew distant.


    Muriel walked over to the lightswitch, flicked it to turn off the lights, and then stepped out of


    the room. There were keys inside the lock-those were Adam''s keys.


    She took them and pocketed them, then she closed the door. Muriel touched the door with a sense of finality and then walked away.


    ''I''ll also do everything I can...'' Muriel straightened her back, raised her chin, and marched away confidently. ''I''ll also do everything I can to make sure Adam gets what he deserves.''